St Mary’s Knockbeg College will welcome its 232nd group of First Years in 2025. New Principal, John Maye is hopeful he will get to meet many of them at the upcoming Open Evening in Knockbeg on Monday, September 23rd.
“I love the bustle of an Open Evening as potential students, and their families wander the halls, classrooms and green areas of our wonderful campus.
“It is a great chance to make new connections and to start building the kind of relationships the Knockbeg community is so famous for.”
Despite its’ age Knockbeg has rarely looked better, following an extensive renovation and rebuild from 2018 to 2021. Highlights of the building project include:
- The refurbishment of the older school buildings.
- The opening up of the ‘long corridor’ and formation of a bright, airy colonnade.
- The development of a new Sports hall with adjoining Fitness suite and outdoor play areas.
- The construction of new additional classroom across three floors. Classrooms of particular note being the Technology room, New Science laboratories, Demonstration room and a number of new Multimedia rooms.
- New furniture and fittings in the Chapel, including an impressive Stained Glass depiction of Our Lady.
- Added to this Knockbeg boasts over 14 acres of green space with football pitches, walking trails, planter beds and seating areas. At the centre of the aesthetic remains the long, tree-lined avenue down to the school from the Sleaty Road. The schools has ambitious plans to add to it’s green space with the development of two new football pitches and additional green space on an 8 acre site to the left side of the avenue as you approach the college.
“As a new teacher in 2003 I was blown away by the sight of the school opening up before me as I came down the avenue. I hope that’s the same experience for all our potentially new students calling in on Monday 23rd,” added Mr Maye.
The school offers a wide a varied curriculum at Junior and Senior Cycle. All 1st years take a one-year taster programme across the full range of subjects available.
The recent renovation has added to this choice with additional practical rooms, science and language laboratories and multimedia rooms.
Transition year is a popular choice for over 95% of students with a rich and varied programme. Students again has the chance to sample subjects before making the big decisions around their Leaving Certificate options.
5th year students have almost 20 option subjects to choose 4 from for their Leaving Certificate. Results in recent years have been of the highest standard.
“The choice our students have at senior cycle is critical in ensuring we provide each individual with the best chance of success in the Leaving Certificate. This variety also opens up a wider range of pathways for every student,” added Mr Conor Ronan, the school’s Deputy Principal.
The choice available within the classrooms is mirrored by a wide choice of activities outside of the classroom.
At the heart of the Knockbeg’s vibrant community lies a robust sporting culture that thrives on high standards and mass participation.
Students of all ages are encouraged to engage in a wide range of extra-curricular, such as gaelic football, hurling, basketball and athletics.
The school possesses facilities and coaching standards that meet elite levels of excellence, most notably at Schools A level in both gaelic football and basketball.
The school’s pursuit of high participation levels to develop a strong connection and sense of belonging to Knockbeg was most apparent only as recently as last year, where a record four teams competed in the 1st year football blitzes in both Laois and Carlow.
This dynamic environment not only cultivates exceptional sportsmanship but also fosters a sense of unity and school pride among students, which is clearly evident through the unique anthems sang by the Knockbeg army in support of our teams on championship day.
Any further information about Knockbeg can be gathered through their active social media pages – @Knockbegcollege on Instagram, X and Facebook or through their website www.knockbegcollege.ie
